Sinn Féin - On Your Side

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has described Minister Alan Kelly’s Planning Guidelines on Design Standards for New Apartments as a Developers Charter.

Deputy Adams said the government’s biggest shame as it comes to the end of its tenure is its refusal to tackle homelessness as a result of which some 1,638 children will be homeless this Christmas.

“As 2016 approaches this government should be ashamed of the calculated way in which it has deepened inequalities. This is evident across a range of social and economic issues and especially across our health services.

"But perhaps the government’s biggest shame as Christmas approaches is its refusal to tackle homelessness.

“According to today’s Irish Times 1,638 children will be homeless this Christmas, 1037 of them under are under the age of eight.

“This is a direct result of government policy and in particular its failure to introduce rent certainty and its refusal to build social and affordable housing.

“The latest offering by Minister Alan Kelly, Planning Guidelines on Design Standards for New Apartments, is a Developers Charter.

“This will reduce the size of studio apartments by 27% in Dublin.

“None of this is surprising. As the government approaches the end of its tenure Ministers are force feeding the media with election promises on housing and other issues.

“What they should have done long before this was to regulate the private rented sector, stop the flow of tenants into homelessness, and build social and affordable housing.” ENDS